Bar Italia have always had an air of mystique about them, a band that thrashes and struggles against any box they are stuffed into. Spawned in 2019 in London, there seems to be an obtuse refusal to play any sort of game the music industry wanted them to play – interviews were refused for the first few years, and releasing records in fast succession.
Sophomore album ‘Tracey Denim’ put them on the map, highly praised for its balance of South London grit and sheer slickness, a self-contained world that meant one thing – the industry had to start playing by Bar Italia’s rules now.
On Tuesday, we find ourselves in Academy 2, a spacious if slightly dated venue that would be more suitable for bingo nights as opposed to rollicking rock shows. That juxtaposition seems to suit Bar Italia quite well, and the crowd clusters in little pockets across the sprawling polished floors, your usual mix of students and Radio 6 dads, both equally excited to see what the alt-rock trio have to offer.
Kicking off the night is Wet Kiss, the Aussie glam-rock collective led by lead singer Brenna O, who strikes a Debbie Harry-esque pose as she clutches her microphone, a fan of platinum blonde hair falling over her face. flanked by her “curious miscreants” as she refers to them in bunny ears and running makeup. Their sound is British punk in all its forms and all its glory – from Bowie to Siouxise and the Banshees to Blondie – with a liberal sprinkle of camp.
Then it is time for Bar Italia, as the lights dim to single spotlights for each member. It’s a spacious setup, and frontwoman Nina Cristante takes centre stage, a bright white spotlight shining in a moon at her feet. ‘Some Like it Hot’ sees the band take a theatrical edge, stepping out of the shadows of indie sleaze into unabashed rock and roll, swagger and all. In jacquard tights and a sequinned dress, Cristante prances across the stage, the poise and elegance of a dancer, whilst guitarists Sam Fenton and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi weave the noise around her.
The set starts off slow, cherry-picking gems from ‘Some Like it Hot’, entrancing as Cristante plucks her away around the stage, swooping and dipping, a sliding scale of grace and growl. It ramps up increasingly with standouts from ‘Tracey Denim’, which instinctively rips open the room into a thrashing pit. Once the flame is lit, there’s no going back, and Cristante drops some of the poise in favour of the fire, and races to the barrier, leaning into the crowd, declaring “feels like having, the worst time ever!” whilst the crowd are seemingly having the best time ever.
Bar Italia is archaically grimy, dripping with sleaze from the corners of South London, but ‘Some Like it Hot’ polishes it up, mopping up the excess but leaving the fun. Five albums in, the world of Bar Italia keeps rapidly expanding, and they don’t seem to be hitting the brakes anytime soon.
Kaitlyn Brockley
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Images: Kaitlyn Brockley
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